Hunger Games Galaxies: District 2
by War292004
Summary: The second and arguably most majestic Hunger Games Galaxies. May the odds be ever in your favorite characters' favor. Part 2/13.
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunger Games Galaxies: District 2**

Werites Beacon, the largest town on the Legacy, was usually full of life and celebration, even on the most ordinary of days. But the day of the Reaping was, of course, far from the most ordinary of days. As per usual, everyone was gathered in the town square, awaiting their chance to fulfill their obligation to the Gods.

"… and thus it was decreed…" Madam Musette continued, her voice droning on and on. "The world of Shining Blue would offer up a tribute: one boy and one girl, between the ages of 12 and 18, for the… honor… of representing our world in the annual Hunger Games…"

Besides Madame Musette, the stage was littered with representatives from the three main kingdoms of the world, as well as prominent members of the town. Sheriff Will Raynard and the Bantam Bouncers waited, silently, flanking Madam Musette and searching for trouble. They were more of a… decoration, however. The real force behind the day's activities were the dozens of figures dressed in the white combat outfits with their black visors. The Peacekeepers, the ones who only came around twice a year: once at the Reaping, and once during the Games to ensure everyone was watching.

"… and… before me today," continued Madame Musette. "We have a wide selection of fine young men and women from the countires of Gadoria, Rexalia, and Crusand. We will soon select the young man and woman who will do District Two the honor of representing us…"

Over six hundred and some-odd children—for they really weren't anything else— stood before the stage. All different colors, ages, backgrounds… each having lost the lottery of their own country, selected to go before the entire universe, the possibility of their impending death a heavy cloud over the otherwise sparkling town. But what really shocked them is when Madame Musette hesitated, and then continued to speak.

"… the Game Gods have given some thought to this year's games, and come up with a number of surprising changes. In this case… the first rule, and the only one I am at liberty to divulge… is the relaxation of the age restrictions on entrants," said Madame Musette. "In both directions."

Panicked cries rippled throughout the stadium. That meant… younger and older people could enter? But then… everyone at the stadium, the parents included, perhaps, were eligible! Several children tried to break away at this, to run back to their parents. The Peacekeepers swept in and shoved them back into the line, as general pandemonium threatened to break out at the stage.

"Senel…" muttered Shirley.

He looked at his sister. She was horrified; her eyes brimmed with tears as Madame Musette tried to regain order in the stadium. Senel hugged her close and patted her blonde hair, pushing the front braids out of her eyes. He knew what was upsetting her. The thought of a really young person, like Will's daughter Harriet, entering the Games… only to be brought down by some older boy from another district…

"That won't happen," said Senel. "Someone will volunteer. Nobody would let a little girl just… go in like that…"

"Senel," said Shirley, suddenly. "Promise me this: you will not volunteer. For anyone. I don't want you in these games, no matter whose name they call… I mean… if they do call you, there's… there's no helping it… but if they call me, I don't want you in there with me."

"Shirley, they're not going to pick you," said Senel. "And even if they did, someone, one of those Gadorian Knight girls, probably, would step up and fight for you."

"Would you let Chloe do it?" asked Shirley, a hint of jealousy in her voice.

"I… that's… not in my control," said Senel. "You know how she is… though I wonder… would she volunteer..?"

Senel stared across the gathering of people to the Gadorian section. They were required to split up by their home countries. Senel and Shirley, therefore, stood with their fellow Rexlalians, while Chloe stood rigidly within a group of other knights. Senel looked around, but his short height made it difficult to spot anyone else from his group. He could barely make out Moses' hair, though he was too far away to talk to.

"What about Grune?" asked Shirley, quietly. "Or… or Norma… they couldn't do it, either…"

"Shirley, relax," pleaded Senel, quietly, as Madame Musette made ready to draw the first name. "The odds of any of our friends going to the Games are so low it's practically negligible. If it hasn't happened to us yet, it probably never will. And, besides, they opened up the ages, so that means better odds in our favor."

But even as he said that, he felt his breath catch in his chest as Madame Musette grabbed the piece of paper from the middle of the jar. She walked slowly to the microphone, the screens around the stadium displaying her stoic face as she opened the paper. She read the name, closed her eyes and gave her head a light shake. Then she addressed the group as a whole.

"Chloe Valens," she read.

"No!" came two very high-pitched and distinct cries. Shirley, of course, was upset, but Senel was surprised to realize just how close Norma was to them in the crowd. And, judging by the scuffle, she was trying to fight her way over to her friend.

Chloe, meanwhile, only let a brief moment of shock cross her face. Then, she reaffixed the mask of seriousness she was known for. To anyone else, in any world, she looked like a hardened, proud tribute, ready to fight for her District's honor and glory. But Senel could tell the truth. Chloe was absolutely terrified.

She walked up to the stage where Madame Musette took a moment and gave her a quick hug, followed by a quickly-whispered message. But even the microphones could pick up the words "I'm so sorry," to which Chloe merely shook her head and turned on heel to face the audience at large. All of the Gadorians quietly raised a single, clenched fist into the air. It was the sign of victory for her country.

"Let's… let's have a hand for our brave female tribute," said Madame Musette, looking more than a little dead on the inside.

There was a round of cheering and clapping from the Gadorians, of course, as they always supported one of their own in the Games. A few other girls also celebrated; they were off the hook. Meanwhile, Madame Musette was already moving toward the mammoth bowl of boys' names. Shirley tightened her grip on Senel's arms, the tears pouring down her face. Madame Musette walked back to the microphone, opened the paper, and did a double take, unable to keep a strong gasp from escaping her.

"… this… … is this… right?" she asked, aghast. One of the Head Peacekeepers moved quickly to whisper in her ear, after which he gave one curt nod and returned to his position on the platform. Madame Musette seemed barely able to process what she was doing as she cleared her throat, coughed, and addressed them all again.

"It… it's… my honor to present to you our male tribute for this year," she said. "And his name is… Will Raynard."

Shirley all but dissolved at this point, falling to her knees. Senel could easily hear the surprised gasps and screams from his companions as well. Up on stage, all cameras had focused on Will, who kept his face as blank as possible. He stepped forward, his hulking figure dwarfing both Musette and Chloe, and the two of them kept a strong poker face for the cameras as Madame Musette again congratulated them for their respective sacrifices for the good of the entire District. They almost made it through without any incident… until a small voice cried out.

"D… DADDY!"

Harriet ran for the stage, but was stopped by a Peacekeeper, who grabbed her by the arm and tried to hold her back. Will shouted something at the white-clothed person, but the man didn't seem to hear him. So, Will leapt off the stage, ran over to them, and broke his grip on his daughter. When the Peacekeeper turned to argue with Will, Will reared back and punched him in the face, shattering his visor.

"Will, what are you doing?" muttered Senel.

The other Peacekeepers began to move in, as if planning to attack Will, now cradling a sobbing Harriet on his arms, but were stopped when Madam Musetted thundered down at them.

"You will not harm either of them," she snarled, losing all pretense of professionalism. "By the agreement your kind made with District 2, Will Raynard and all of his family are protected through to the events of the Games. Your harming him will void the agreement the Gods have made with us, and incur their wrath on you."

The Peacekeepers faltered. After a tense few seconds, the Head Peacekeeper raised his arm and told them to all stand down. They backed off, leaving Will and Harriet alone in the center of it. There were no cheers. This was nothing to celebrate. Madame Musette didn't call for any sort of recognition, as she, too, had tears in her eyes. The entire stadium was silent, except for the continued, choking sobs of Harriet.

"Senel… this is… horrible…" said Shirley, her voice quavering. "We… we can't just let him… what if he doesn't… Harriet… she'll be…"

"I know…" said Senel, his fists clenched in fury. "This isn't entertainment… this is… disgusting."

**Author's Notes:**

**Short explanation time on how this whole ordeal is going to work!**

**The games themselves are still in progress, so for now I'm only doing the intro stuff. All events that take place in the Districts will be in their appropriately-titled stories in the proper crossover section. Once that's all taken care of and it collapses into one story, I'll put the title at the end of each District Introduction Section (or just click on my author name to find it yourself). **

**The entire story is being decided solely on a complicated series of dice rolls, to prevent bias on my part and to make it so even I have no idea how this is going to end or who is going to win. **

**Let me be clear: this is not going to be an "everyone bands together and fights the evil powers and they all survive" story. As of writing this paragraph, eight tributes are dead. So if you see your favorite character selected… well, don't get mad if they don't make it through.**

**That's all for now. May the odds be ever in your (favorite characters') favor.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunger Games Galaxies**

**District 2 Introduction: Part 2**

Will finally had to return to the stage, as the enormous screen above them began to change. The usual static image of the night sky came across it, and everyone present at the Reaping put their hand over their hearts, a universal symbol of respect for the Gods. The Voice of the Gods came across loud and clear as he always did, which sent a ripple of anger through Senel. Shirley felt his fists clench and laid a soothing hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. Even as the Merines, she was powerless in the face of the Game Gods.

"Citizens of the Twelve Districts…" said the Voice of God. "Welcome to the Reaping. As you send your courageous Tributes off to the field of battle, keep in your hearts the hope for them to return victorious! It is only with your encouragement and prayers that they may have an edge in battle."

"That never helps… obviously…" muttered Senel, darkly.

"Yeah…" Shirley added.

"As with each year…" continued the Voice. "We attempt to up the entertainment value for the Games, finding new and exciting ways to increase competition and spectacle, and this year is no different… however, this year's Hunger Games will be an undertaking like nothing we've seen before, with multiple, surprising changes hidden around each corner.

"You've already experienced the first: the relaxation of the age restrictions. But, this is only the beginning. Another is that we will not be permitting any Gods to act as sponsors; the tributes will be on their own…"

There was an outcry at this. Sponsorship often meant you were blessed with better weapons, food, medicine, powers, whatever was the part of the Hunger Games that went through. This was unprecedented; indeed an entire staple of the games was being ignored. But the Peacekeepers quickly silenced those cries.

"Each year, the 24 tributes provide ample opportunity for not only the Gods but all of you in the Districts to observe each other in a cultural exchange of sorts… but we were wondering… how could we make this exchange even stronger and more varied…?"

"Oh no… you don't think…" said Shirley her eyes widening.

"And therefore, the Gods have decreed that, from each District, we shall Reap a second group of tributes, ensuring this year's Hunger Games provides even more entertainment than the last!"

With this shocking revelation, the Peacekeepers actually ended up having to fire warning shots into the sky to silence the furious crowd that surged forward, trying to reach their family members. On stage, Will tightened his grip on Harriet, as Chloe dropped her serious face in a mask of surprise. Madam Musette, already suffering so many shocks thus far, seemed practically floored by this one, her hand over hear heart as she used the mic stand for balance.

Once order had finally been restored, the Head Peacekeeper approached Musette and assisted her in approaching the bowl with the female names once again. Senel and Shirley tightened their grip on each other; they didn't know what was about to happen. They were right back where they'd been minutes ago, with no certainties about each others' future again.

"Our… our second fe-female tribute…" stuttered Madam Musette. "Is… … it's a single name… oh no… it's Grune."

"Oh… me?" said Grune, who had been pacing absent-mindedly behind Senel and Shirley without being noticed. "Well this is quite unexpected, isn't it?"

"No!" cried Shirley, spinning around. "Grune, you can't go to the Hunger Games! You…"

"G-GIRL!" came Norma's frantic cries, as she again shoved her way through the crowd to try and get to them.

"Norma's going to get herself shot if she doesn't stop freaking out like that," Senel muttered. "But… Grune in the Hunger Games…?"

Grune merely skipped out of the group of people, still smiling blankly, as she linked arms with one of the Peacekeepers that took her to the stage. Once there, she approached the white-faced Chloe and Will, giving each of them a hug before spinning around gracefully to smile into the camera floating near her head.

"I will give it my all," she said, her high monotone ringing across the stadium. "Charge."

Grune succeeded in silencing the crowds. Nobody was sure what to make of a statement like that. Meanwhile, Musette was dragged off again to draw another boys' name. She took the paper in her hand and, shakily, walked to the microphone again. She opened the paper, and sighed heavily.

"And… yet again… single name: Jay," she said.

He was on stage before they could say anything and before the shock could register with anyone in the crowd. Jay stood on the stage, smiling pleasantly next to Grune, but there was a difference in his smile. Though pleasant, it was also… dangerous.

"I have no intention of losing these games… so we shall see how it goes," said Jay.

"But… Senel… they have to fight… and only one can come back…" Shirley muttered, collapsed and with her tears flowing.

Senel didn't say anything. He couldn't. How was he supposed to choose between four of his closest companions? But even as the crushing weight of oppression came over him, the Voice of the Gods rose up back over the enormous screen behind him.

"This shall be my final announcement," he said. "To each of our Districts… and to our viewing entities… there is one additional rule change to this year's Hunger Games. If the last 2, 3, or 4 tributes are from the same district, they shall be declared the victor, and the Games will end."

And suddenly, there was hope for District 2. And the Tributes realized that as well. They looked at each other, grinned, and instantly it became clear that they were ready to band together and fight.

Once the Reaping ended, the four tributes were moved to Musette's house, where they were each given a room to receive guests. But, after a few minutes, they simply left their rooms and entered the central living area area. The entire group sat in silence for a few minutes, save for Norma and Harriet's occasional, quiet sobs.

"We can win this, you know," said Chloe. "We just need to work together. We've fought together hundreds of times in the past."

"That's the spirit, Chloe!" said Moses, the only one with any energy in the room. "And look at it this way, you've got two Iron Erens and two Crystals, one of which could still crush a man to death with his hammers."

"They'll seal our Eres, though," said Will, his brow furrowed. "Granted, some of our combat ability will remain, however it will be a level playing field for every District… which means they'll have access to our powers, and ours to theirs."

"So… so you just have to try really, really hard," said Norma. "There's no way you guys can lose… right…?"

"Well, death in battle is always a possibility," said Jay, pensively. "We understood that even as we worked to change things here on the Legacy. And we know our jobs aren't finished here, too."

"Right," said Chloe. "That's why I think we should make a pact. No matter what happens to any of us in the arena, those left behind in District 2 must continue the work of the group."

"I agree," said Will. "Senel… Shirley… Moses… Norma… it is imperative that you carry on in our stead."

"I understand," said Senel, standing. "You can count on us."

"Hell yeah!" cried Moses, standing and waving his spear around. "We got this! Nobody's gonna bring us down!"

"We'll pray for you every day…" said Shirley. "Just… please… survive…"

"You can all count on me!" said Grune, smiling faintly and raising her fist limply in the air again. "Charge!"

Just as she said that, the Peacekeepers entered the room. Time was up; it was time for the four tributes to board the ship that would take them to the portal and to the training center. One final goodbye hug from everyone (including a rib-crushing one from Grune) and suddenly they were sailing away, waving with Madam Musette from the stern of the boat, as the others watched from the shore of the Legacy.

**Author's Note:**

**This completes the introduction for District 2. Once the remaining introductions are uploaded for the remaining districts, I will finally be able to start writing the story of the actual games to begin with, starting with the introductory parade and interviews.**


End file.
